Quiz: Howstuffworks

Can You Tell Spanish Words From French?

Isadora Teich

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About This Quiz

Many people around the world speak multiple languages, and those who grew up speaking only one often have dreams of learning another. Learning new languages can open up whole new worlds and cultures to you! After all, you really can't fully grasp a person's culture until you understand their language.

Spanish and French are two of the major world languages. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries worldwide and is estimated to have as many as 500 million native speakers. This means that it has the second most native speakers of all of the global languages. When it comes to French, there are over 220 million speakers worldwide. French is the sixth most spoken global language. If you have a handle on both, you can communicate with people on almost any continent and in most countries around the world!

Both are Romance languages, meaning that they come from Latin. However, the two are quite different and the process of learning them can be less than sweet! Both have their tricks! If you are a language lover who thinks that you really know your stuff, put yourself to the test! See if you can tell Spanish words from French with this quiz!

Is "hola" a French word?

Yes

No

"Hola" is a common Spanish way of saying "hello." There are a number of common Spanish greetings. These include "buenas días" and "buenas noches." Some are suitable for different times of the day.

Which language is the word "lune" a part of?

French

Spanish

"La lune" is the French word for "the moon." It is a feminine noun. In Spanish, the word for "the moon" is "la luna." Both of these words come from the Latin word "luna," which means "moon."

What language does the word "queso" belong to?

Spanish

French

"El queso" is the Spanish word that means "cheese." It is a masculine noun. In French, the word for cheese is "le fromage." This noun is masculine in French and in Spanish.

Is "femme" a French word?

Yes

No

"La femme" is the French word that means "woman." In Spanish, the word for woman is "la mujer." Remember, when speaking Spanish, that in many words J's are pronounced like H's. "Mujer" is pronounced "Mu-HEHR."

"Padre" is a _________ noun.

French

Spanish

"El padre" is a Spanish noun which means "father." In French, the word for father is "le père." For example, "Mi padre esta cansado," means "My father is tired," in the Spanish language.

Is "naranja" a Spanish word?

Yes

No

"La naranja" is the Spanish word for "orange." It refers to both the color and the fruit. It is a feminine noun. For example, "me gusta comer las naranjas" means "I like to eat oranges."

What language does the word "chat" belong to?

French

Spanish

"Le chat" is the French word that means "cat." It is a masculine noun, which is why it uses the masculine article "le." The word for "kitten" is "le chaton." In Spanish, the word for "cat" is "el gato,"

Is "amor" a Spanish or French word?

Spanish

French

"El amor" is the Spanish word that means "love." The Spanish verb form which means "to love" is "amar." In French, the word meaning "love" is "l'amour." While these two words are similar and have similar Latin roots, they are not the same.

Is "maison" a Spanish or French word?

"La maison" is a French word that means "house." It is a feminine noun. The word "la chambre" can also be used to mean house or apartment. "La casa" is the Spanish word meaning "house."

"Pomme" is a Spanish word: True or False?

True

False

"La pomme" is the French word which means "apple." The French word for "potato" is "la pomme de terre." This translates literally in English to "the apple of the earth." The Spanish word for apple is "La manzana."

Which language is the word "abuela" a part of?

French

Spanish

"Abuela" is the Spanish word that means "grandmother."Abuelo" is the word for "grandfather." For example, "Mi abuelo y mi abuela viven en una casa blanca," means "My grandfather and grandmother live in a white house."

"Mourir" is a ________ verb.

Spanish

French

"Mourir" is a French verb which means "to die." The Spanish verb with the same meaning is similar. It's "morir." For example "Il est mort," means "He is dead," in French. Remember not to pronounce the "T" in "mort."

Which language is the verb "bailar" a part of?

French

Spanish

"Bailar" is a Spanish verb. It means "to dance." The verb that means "to dance" in French is "danser." For example, you might say, "Yo quiero bailar." This means "I want to dance," in Spanish.

Is "rey" a Spanish or French word?

Spanish

French

"El rey" is the word for "King" in Spanish. In many places with Spanish heritage or influence, it is a common street and neighborhood name. For example, Marina Del Rey is a seaside community in Los Angeles, California.

"Bleu" is a French word: True or False?

True

False

"Bleu" is the word for the color "blue" in French. In Spanish, the word for the color "blue" is "azul." In French, a synonym of "bleu" is "triste," which means gloomy or sad. These words are similar in French and English.

Is "chien" a Spanish word?

Yes

No

"Le chien" is a French noun. It is a masculine noun that means "dog." The word for puppy in French is "le chiot." In Spanish, the word for dog is quite different. It is "el perro."

"Pierna" is a Spanish word: True or False?

True

False

"La pierna" is the Spanish word used to mean leg. For example, "Me rompí la pierna," means "I broke my leg," in Spanish. When it comes to animals with hooves or paws "la pata" is also used.

Which language is the word "hiver" a part of?

Spanish

French

In French, "l'hiver" is a noun meaning winter. When speaking French, the letter "H" is often silent or softly pronounced. "hiver" is pronounced "EE-ver." "In Spanish, the word for winter is "el invierno."

"Saber" is a ________ verb.

Spanish

French

"Saber" is a Spanish verb which means "to know," "to realize" or "to taste." It is an irregular verb. "Lo sé" means "I know." However, he knows is "El sabe." "They know" is "Ellos saben."

Is "felicidad" a Spanish or French word?

Spanish

French

"La felicidad" is the Spanish word for happiness. Spanish synonyms for happiness include "la dicha" and "las alegría." In French words for happiness are "le bonheur" and "l' félicité."

"Agua" is a French word: True or False?

True

False

"The Spanish word that means "water" is "el agua." While many Spanish nouns that end with "-a" are feminine nouns, this is not always the case. "El agua" is one of the tricky ones.

What language does the word "nuit" belong to?

Spanish

French

"La nuit" is the French word which means "night" or "darkness." It is a feminine noun. In Spanish, the word for "night" or "nighttime" is "la noche." Both French and Spanish use the feminine article "la."

"Amarillo" is a __________ adjective.

Spanish

French

"Amarillo" is a Spanish adjective. It means "yellow." It is also the name of a city in Texas. Always remember that when you see a pair of L's in a Spanish word, they are generally pronounced like a Y. Say "AmariYO" and not "AmariLLO."

Is "niño" a French word?

Yes

No

"El niño" is the Spanish word that means "the child." This is the masculine version of this noun. For a female child, the word in Spanish is "La niña." Remember, when speaking Spanish, "ñ" is pronounced like "ny." This means that "niño" is pronounced "ninYO."

Which language is the word "fantôme" a part of?

French

Spanish

"Le fantôme" is a French word that means "ghost." French synonyms include "le spectre" and "l'ombre." The accent on top of the "ô" is called a circonflexe in French. It indicates that in the past of the French language, the letter "s" used to follow that vowel.

Is "navidad" a Spanish or French word?

Spanish

French

"La Navidad" is the Spanish word for "Christmas." It is a rough cognate of the English word "nativity," which refers to the birth of Jesus Christ. In French, the word for "Christmas" is "Noël."

"Ciudad" is a Spanish word: True or False?

True

False

"La Ciudad" is a Spanish word that means city. For example "La Ciudad de Sevilla es preciosa," means "The city of Seville is beautiful." The French word for "city" is "la ville." Both are feminine nouns.

What language does the word "corazón" belong to?

French

Spanish

In Spanish, "el corazón" means "heart." Synonyms in Spanish include the words "la alma" and "el centro." "La alma" also means "soul" and "el centro" can also refer to the focus, core or headquarters of something.

Is "hambre" a French word?

Yes

No

"Hambre" is a Spanish word that means "hungry." If you want to say that you are hungry, you would say "Tengo hambre." This literally translates to "I have hunger." "Hambre" is pronounced "Hahm-bray."

What language does the word "cansado" belong to?

French

Spanish

"Cansado" is a Spanish adjective which means "tired." When used to describe a woman or women, it becomes "cansada" or "cansadas." For example "Ella esta cansada," means "She is tired."

Is "crabe" a Spanish or French word?

Spanish

French

"Le crabe" is the French word that means "crab." The Spanish words for crab are quite different from the French word. In Spanish, the words for "crab" are "el cangrejo" and "el cámbaro."

Which language is the word "rue" a part of?

French

Spanish

"La rue" is a French word which means "street." It is a feminine noun. In Spanish, the word for "the street" is "la calle." It is also a feminine noun. In French, the word for "road" is "la route."

What language does the word "Miércoles" belong to?

French

Spanish

"Miércoles" is the Spanish word for Wednesday. This day can also be called "midweek" or "entresemana." Wednesday in French is "Mercredi." These words share a Latin root in the god Mercury, which Romans used for Wednesday.

Is "jaune" a Spanish word?

Yes

No

"Jaune" is "yellow" in French. In Spanish, this is "amarillo," which we've already covered. Color words are heavily influenced by dialect and history.

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